The Day You Woke Up
by FiddlingCrispo
Summary: Nobita was sad and depressed because Doraemon ran out of power and was as still as a sculpture. Nobita tried everything he could to reactivate his robotic friend but all was in vain…Nobita/Doraemon entanglement


**Disclaimer:**

I do not own the characters; they belong to Mr Fujiko F. Fujio as we all know it.

**Hints:**

Nobita was sad and depressed because Doraemon ran out of power and was as still as a statue. Nobita tried everything he could to reactivate his robotic friend but all was in vain…

* * *

**The Day You Woke Up**

Doraemon would not move, nor would he talk, blink, breathe, or show any sign of stirring.

He had been seated in tatami carpet for two solid months. Like a frozen statue his black eyes were fixed unmoved on a transparent spot a few inches above Nobita's bureau.

It was a glassy, vacant stare, with no flicker of emotion in those beady pupils that were once so warming and amiable. His round snowballs of hands were stuck to each other above his lap and his short legs crossed like those of a small child, exposing the pair of overlarge white pads of feet beneath him.

By the look of it, he might have been meditating, except that his eyes were not peacefully or thoughtfully closed like a meditating monk.

At the moment and under the same roof, Nobita was lying on his stomach trying to do some homework. If Doraemon could see the defeated expression and bruises on the schoolboy's face, he would have sprung forward and offered comfort, like he always did whenever Nobita got bullied.

But he could not. Not for this time, not, perhaps, for years and years on end.

Nobita sighed and threw aside his pencil case. Homework could wait. He then dragged himself up into a sitting position and faced the motionless robotic cat.

'You never told me that one day you might end up like this.' He murmured, both to himself and to the blank face set before him, 'I didn't believe that; a 22nd century product, running out of power.'

His eyes met Doraemon's, but the later was not looking back.

Dorami-chan had come to visit Nobita during the preceding weeks. Nobita had been sure that she holds a solution, and yet her answers filled him with nothing but bitter disappointment.

'My brother needs charging.' Dorami had said, 'but he's lost the devices.'

'But you can buy him a new battery from 22nd century!'

'I can. But the battery must be inserted into the ears where it's able to function. Since my brother's lost his ears, he's no longer rechargeable. I'm really sorry, Nobita. There may be other means somewhere else but in our century this is the only way.'

Nobita hated reviewing this conversation but it was always swirling in his head and blocking other thoughts. If Doraemon's fellow contemporary could not reactivate him, Nobita was not confident that anyone in his era could.

Dorami had comforted him, had promised to drop him daily visits if he liked. In fact, she had promised that she could replace her brother as the guardian and offer Nobita more advanced gadgets.

She thought Nobita would be tempted to start a new life without Doraemon.

Contrarily, Nobita would not. He appeared to have appreciated her consideration and placed Doraemon in his wardrobe of a bedroom as she had suggested. However, as Dorami disappeared into the time-machine, he sprinted to the wardrobe and carried Doraemon out, placed him gently onto the wooden floor, and sat down in front of him.

'This is the spot where you used to sit munching over our helpings of dorayaki and watching over me.' He said to him despite the fact that the later would not react.

One day Nobita bought a stuffed toy mouse and hover it before Doraemon's eyes. He knew it was all quite stupid and pointless since Doraemon no longer sensed anything; and still, he tried.

He did not see what he had expected; he didn't even have any confidence in what he had expected to see. Doraemon was as stiff as could be. No terrified but comical-looking grimaces, no screams, no jumping-ups and no flee.

And another day saw Nobita placed a pile of wrapped dorayaki in front of his stony friend. The schoolboy wished, even though it was childishly pointless, that Doraemon could be stimulated at the sight of the food and tempted to unwrap and devour them. If he could, he would be going to buy him more. He would empty his purse to do it for him.

Nevertheless, the beady eyes did not sparkle; the cherry-shaped nose would not detect the fragrant smell of its master's favourite desserts.

And one night Nobita had another brainwave. He tore from his notebook a square of paper, jotted down a few words for his friend, and slid the note gently into Doraemon's fourth-dimensional pocket, half dreading that the pocket would reject since its master was no longer functional. If so, his one last hope would be extinguished.

To his surprise, it did not happen. The note remained folded and still in the depth of the pocket. Doraemon had taken it in; he did not throw it out.

Elated, Nobita tore up more paper and began scribbling. He had to screw up his limited vocabulary and expressions to apply his feelings to the lines, and yet he wrote every character with immense determination, something he had almost never done before during his exams.

***

_Dear Doraemon,_

_I'm so glad you could feel it. Apart from everything that might excite you, you had chosen to accept my penmanship! _

_Life without you is like hell. I can't endure it alone anymore. You're more than a friend to me and I don't know what to do all by myself! I beg you, please, please wake up. If you're too drowsy to stir and to talk, please generate a note of reply in your omnipotent pocket so that I can get it._

_Love,_

_Nobita_

_***  
_

_Dear Doraemon,_

_I'm doomed tonight! I know you would explode at the news but I've got to tell you-I got double zeros in Maths and Science! No, I don't require your telling-off, for Mum's already promised that she would flatten me after curfew!_

_Please, please wake up and shield me, or rather, brewing a solution for me!_

_Nobita, flustered_

_***  
_

_Dear Doraemon,_

_What by the name of dorayaki has happened to you? I surely have written loads of letters but you won't condescend to drop a reply! Dorami-chan told me you run out of power, but that doesn't have to mean you can no longer communicate with me!_

_Love,_

_Nobita_

_***  
_

_Dear Doraemon,_

_I got bullied this afternoon. A new gang has pervaded our community, and even Gian is no match of any of them. They mocked at my spectacles because they're as round as the bottom of a mug. I retorted back because you had told me to stand up for myself, and they punched me and smashed my glasses! Please, Doraemon, please wake up and help me mend them, I know you won't stand aside to leave me alone in this state!_

_Love,_

_Nobita, imploring_

_***  
_

And day by day Nobita wrote his letters. Each time he placed one into Doraemon's spacious pocket, he groped inside it in the hope that his fingers may slide over a note that was not his own. He even tried to hold a torch and look into the pocket, tried to locate something other than his own loaded letters, but there was none. All was dark and seemingly abysmal. Doraemon's various possessions would not materialise at his touch.

At last, the frustrated schoolboy abandoned all his attempts. Doraemon did not take in his information after all. The letters were merely placed in the pocket but not at the heart.

Still, Nobita wished it were not all in vain. As he gradually adjusted to the merciless fact, he found that he did not care whether or not Doraemon bothered initiating a response any more. The sheer fact that he accepted them, that he did not reject but kept and held his letters could be called soothing, if not comforting, and he would continue to write him more letters at any rate.

***

_Dear Doraemon,_

_Guess what, I'm trying all my best to get myself accustomed to a new life without you. _

_No, that was not true. You are with me after all, except that you would not speak to me. I still can't take you as a lifeless sculpture at the moment. It hurts when I hug you tight without feeling your warming hugging-back._

_You ate your words when you ran out of energy so abruptly! You had promised to be on my side for ever, remember that? You promised to assist me, help me out of all troubles and accompany me, and now what's the point? You do not even decipher my scolds! _

_And now Mum and Dad are both out on a visit, and I've got to spend the night alone with nothing but homework! You used to accompany me out of this, and now that you failed to comply, you're in my debt!_

_I'm sorta addicted to writing you these letters. I know at present you can't read, and that my letters will never fill a fourth-dimensional space. But I don't mind. I'm gonna write you more and load you with more. If I could ever fill your pocket, please pray for me that it would be on the day that you woke up._

_Love,_

_Nobita_

**END**

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**Notes:**

Gosh, it turns out slightly depressing…I think Nobita was doing a pointless job trying to awaken Doraemon, but still, it's a lot better than not doing anything. It's silly, and yet it's realistic and it makes him feel better.

I really hope the canon never ends with something like this…As far as I can see, Nobita is not the sort to march onward with a light heart when his best friend and helper breaks down and he can do nothing about it.

Anyway…Thanks for your attention and for reading!

And my sincere apologies if it's a bit saddening!


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